Ship propulsion



Mmh 16,1926. f 1,517,101

A. F. BEITZELL ET AL SHIP PROPULSION Original Filed April 18, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR s WITNESSES: ATTORNIY &

March 16 1926. 1,577,101

A. F. BEITZELL ET AL SHIP PROPULSION Original Filed April 18, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0. J3. Mielzie,

mans: n'ronusv Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

LS'ZZidi- UNITED STATES PATENT. orrica AUGUST F. BEITZELL AND CHARLES B. WHELTLE, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

SHIP PROPULSION.

Application filed April 18, 1922, Serial No. 554,809. Renewed ()ctober 21, 1925. I

vide electric means for driving the I ship and an engine for actuating the electric generator, with means for connecting the propeller shaft tothe motor, when desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide transmission means for the various parts for increasing or decreasing the speed of the driven member by the driving mem-- ber.

This invention also consists in. certain other features of construction and in .the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, il-

lustrated in the accompanying drawings and vspecifically I pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention'in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout'the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the application of our invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view showing a modification of the invention.

In these'views 1 indicates the shaft for the driving propeller 2 of the ship which is connected with the electric motor 3v through the transmission means 4, such means being hereinafter described. A generator5 has its shaft aligned with the motor shaft and the two shafts are adapted to be connected together by the clutch means 6. The generator is actuated by an internal combustion motor 7, the shaft of which is connected with the generator shaft by the gears 8 and 9 on the said generator and motor shafts and the gears 10 on the shafts 11. Clutch means 112 are provided for the motorsliaft and the gears are all arranged in the gear housing 13.

' It ll that be seen that th sweater c n means.

be driven from the motor 7 to furnish current for the motor 3 and the movement of this motor 3 is transmitted to the propeller by means of the transmission means at. By means of-the clutch .6, if anything should happen to the electric driving means the propeller shaft can be driven from motor"? by placing the clutch 6 in operative position. This clutch is normally in disengaged positlon.

In order to utilize the movement of the ship through the water to produce power we provide a pairof propellers 14, the shafts 15 of which are arranged parallel to the shaft 1. These shafts 15 are connected by the transmission means 16 with the generators 1'7, clutches 18 being interposed betweenv the generators and the transmission These generators 17 can be connected with shafts 19by the clutches 20, said shafts 19 extending into the gear housing 13 where they are provided with the gears .21 which mesh with the large gears on shafts 11. The propellers 14 are actuated by the movement of the ship through the water and this movement is transmitted to the generators 17 by the transmission means 16; Thus electric current is produced by the passage of the ship through the water and this currentlcan be used for various purposes about the ship. If desired it maybe used to help run the motor 3. By means of the clutches it will be seen that the various. elements can be connected or disconnected from the other elements thus permitting repairs to be made and the ship to be run by the electric motor or the internal combustion motor.

The shafts are provided with the flywheels 22 and. the clutches are operative in. any desired manner.

From the above it will be seen that when power is applied to one end of the transmission means will be communicated to the other end at a greater speed and vice means being arranged to drive the propeller shaft 1 at a reduced speed and the transmission means 16 arranged to transmit the movement of the propellers 14 to the generator 17 at an increased speed.

In Figure 2 the propeller shaft 11 extends into a gear housing 40 and the part of the shaft in this housing is provided with a pair of gears 41 which mesh withtwo pair of gears 4:2 and $25 The gears stars carried versa. The drawing shows the transmission by a sha l't it-3 and the gears l2 b a shaft lat. bha'it -1 is bolted. by the flanges do to the shaft oi the motor is and shaft H is bolted by means of the tlanges 4. to the shaft of the motor -18. \l'e provide reserve motors -;t9, the shafts of which may be connected by bolts and flanges 50 with the shafts a3 and ll. These motors are used it anything should happen to the motors 4:6 and d8, it being understood that the bolts are removed from the llanges -15 and l? and the flanges 50 bolted together. The motors to and 48 are connected by bolts passing through flanges at with the shafts of generators and said generators {32 have their shalts connected by bolts passing through the flanges 53 with the gear shafts at which project from the gear casing 55. A. gear 56 is placed on each oi the shafts o l within the casing, and each gear is connected by the gears 57 on shafts 5 8 with a gear 59 located on the shaft 60 oi a gas motor 61. Normally the flanges 51 are not bolted together and current is supplied to the motors 4:6 and slS from the gen erators or current can be supplied to the reserve motors it from said generators. 'lheee generators are driven from the gas motors 1 through the gearing and shafting described. The propeller shaft 11 has its parts connected together by the low speed transmission means (32- and said shaft is pro vidcd with a fly-wheel (33. The shaft (i l of each of the propellers is provided with a tip-wheel cc and high speed transmission means (37 connects the two parts of the shaft (it together. The shaft of each generator (58 is adapted to be connected with each propeller shaft by clutch means (it) and the shaft of each generator is adapted to be connected by the clutch means with a gear shaft T1 projecting "from the gear casing 55 and which is provided with a gear 72 which is connected by the gears 73 on sha'lts '74- to a gear T5 carried by the shaft of the gas motor 76. Thus each generator (58 is driven by the gas motors 76 through the shaiting and gearing shown or each of said generators can be disconnected from its gas motor and connected with the propeller shaiit G l: so that the movement of the ship through the water will actuate the propellers as and thus operate the generators to pro duce current which may be used for different. purposes about the ship. We also provide gears 78 which are slidably mounted on shaft 79 and which are provided with suitable means for moving them into and out of engagement with the large gears 01? the trains of gearing so that a pair of motors can. be connected up to the shaft of each generator 552 or to each generator 68.

From the above it will be seen that by means of the flanges and clutches shown the main propeller can be driven by either pair of electric motors and it these motors should fail the main propeller can be driven by two o l the gas moto s or by all four of the gas motors by shifting the gears 78 and connecting the various shafts together.

lt is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and no vel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

ll'e desire it to be understood that we may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

ll hat we claim is 1. In combination with a ship, a driving propeller therefor, an electric motor for driving the same, an electric generator for the motor. clutch means for connecting the shaft of the generator with the shaft of the motor, an internal combustion motor, gears connecting the same with the shaft of the generator, at second generator, a shaft, clutch means for connecting said shaft with the shaft of the second generator, a gear connecting said shaft with one of the first mentioned gears, a propeller adapted to be driven. by the passage of the boat through the water and means for con'n'nunicating the movement of said propeller to the second generator.

In combination with a ship, a main propeller, a pair of auxiliary propellers, electric motors connected with the shaft; of the main propeller, generators, means for connecting and disconnecting said generator shafts with the motor shafts. a generator for each auxiliary propeller shaft, means for connecting and disconnecting said generator with said shaft, :1 gas engine associated with each generator, gears connecting the engine shafts with the generator shafts, means for connecting and disconnecting said generator shafts with the gears and movable gears for connecting the gears of one gas engine with those of another gas engine.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signatures.

AUGUST 13. BEITZELL. CHARLES E. VVI-IELTLE. 

